Vehicle closure



'Patented Feb. 8,1927.

. v v i PATENT veFIliig;En

FRANKA. BNnNNnn,.on SOTH BEND, INDIANA, AssroNon vTo THE STUDEBAKER con#v `DONATION, on sou'rn BEND, INDIANA, A conPonAfrroN or NEW .'vrnnsnv.V

VEHICLE CLOYSURE. i

` `Application mea` May 18,1925: seriaimfainea A Thisv invention `relates iii-general to our.- tains, and particularly to curtains loftllat type whichare woundup on a roller when in inoperative position` and more particularly to i the application of such curtains to .an open type automobile .for the purpose-loi:l `forming anfenclosure for the ysides of the same..f'

applied to each side ot an automobile, .1t 1s preferable, for the sakeotappearance and V.simplicity in use and construction, .not to `use any guiding post for the kadjacent edges ot adjacent curtains, but instead position the curtains sovt'hat their adjacent edges: overlap to form 'La 'tight closure. Inasmuch as these curtains are' universally constructed of fabric 'orotherpliable material.' which is apt Ato stretch in 1use,iandidue to the fact-'that the pliable transparencies provided lforwindows is of afnon-stre'tchable nature, lthe edges-'of the curtains rbecome stretchedwav greater y'eX- tent than the lmiddle portion viwhich carries the transparencies andlconsequently have Ya tendency to bag'or sag preventingthe overlapping edges from lying tightly oneagainst the other and allowing the ingress of theele- 'ments through vthe opening thus exposed into thefinterior of the automobile. J

With the above inview .itis the principal object .of the present-inventionl to providey means Y V:for preventing such curtain: edges from stretching and sagg1ng,zvvhereby when they are in Aoverlapping position they will lay Vagainst yeach other v and effect aV relatively tight closure.

Y Another object is'to providefan' edge of such curtains with a` thin, metallic strip Vcapable of being rolled with the curtainon to 40 the curtain roller, and securing such strip to such edge whereby the strip, and ynot thje fabric, will receive any strains' exerted on thecur'tai-n.

`Another object is to provide such a. curtainwith'a relatively stiif cross or horizontal stiening member inconjun'ction with a Athi-n, flexible, non-stretchab'le vertical edge member. f

A VJurtl'ier object is toprovide the ylower corner ofzthe'edge of such la curtain, which is adapted to be received within 'a` groove, with athin,f1at, reinforcing :memberto prevent tearing of such corner Vand to'ihe'lp it A hold its shape.

f 'The above being Varnongthe objects of the orI more of such .curtains are A.position Apresent invention, thesameyconsists oit certain :features :of construction and combina tion of yparte. V.to be hereinafterdcserbed with reiferen'cetotlie :accompanying drawing, and

then claimed, having the abovel andV other objects in view. y Y l p' f In the accompanying drawing Whichillus- .trates as'uitable embodiment ofthe present inVnt-on and in which like numerals refer .tollke p .artsthlouglloutthe Several' different, vlews, f Y

Figure 1 is ya perspective view of theu-p-I f' per portion `of anopen type automobile to which :the present Yinvention is applied, oner .of 'the curtainsbeing shown ,in full extended and another in lpartly raised posi- -t10n. 1 f f F gure" '2 is a :fragmentary perspective View of a lportionv of. 'the far Side of vthe top of .the automobileV shown. in .Figure 1,; the method of mounting the Icurtains therein being clearly'sho'wn. f

' Figure 3 is an enlarged ,broken view `from thein'side otone'eof the roller curtains in unrolled position, part of the `fabric being .brokenf away vgat `di'iierent points to better illustrate the construction.

, Figure 4; is a :broken ,perspective sectional view taken on Vtheline 4i-4L of Figure 3, the

thicknessfot the metallicY strip being exaggerated to .better `show `the construction.A

Figure .5 is .a broken .perspectivesectional view taken .on the line 5-5 of Figuref Figure .6 isa broken perspective' sectional view taken on the lined-6 off Figure v3.

In Figure yl is shownl .an automobile ofthe open type having a body 10, and top ll'supf ported thereon fby .front supportslZ and rear supports 13,. Supported within each sideY quarter `of the'top l1 by brackets suchl as 14,

in theimannershown in Figure-areytwo kcurtains lland 16, each'gbeing independently 'supp orted on a spring dcontrolled `'roller 17 of conventional construction so that each may be raised or .lowered independently of f received 'in a vertically extending groove (not shown) in :the rear .face of -theront support 12V and therearzedge of lthe rear curtain .16 is guided ina like vmanner by being slidably received in a `groove 18 inthe :trent edge ofthe rear support 13. The our: f

so f

Y "un,

tains and 16 are so supported'by their rollers 17 in the top 11 that therear edge of the front curtain 15 overlaps the front edge of therear curtain 16 to provide a tight joint between-the two curtainsin order'to prevent the ingress of the elements therethrough when they are inoperative position. 13er-Y manent or removable auxiliary grooved posts extending'between the body 10 and top 11 have been used at the adjacent edges of such curtainsy but 4they are objectionable 'due' to the fact of their unsightliness when permanent, and due to the bother and trouble necessary to place-'themiin position and to-remove them when removable, and it has been foundmore practical to eliminate them entirely. y

` i The curtains themselves are formed of fabric, which may be coated by various conventional substances if desired, and each curtain is provided with flexible transparencies 19 of material such ascelluloid, to

*Y Yprovide windows therein. In the course of ordinary wear and tear on the usual type of suchl curtains-the" fabric becomes stretched, and` due tothe fact that the transparencies are relatively non-stretchable, an excess in vthe length of the fabric occurs which causes the edges ofthe curtains to become loose or to sag and to lose. their `tautness,whereby the overlapping edges no longer remain tight against one another when the curtains are down, but often leave gaps between them which-are not only unsightly but which allow the ingress of the elements therethrough. VrIhe present invention contemplates the elimination ofsuch stretched condition yof thefabric by securing in and to the vertical edge of the curtain a thin, nonstretchable strip 2O of material which may lbe readily' wound up on the roller with the 'curtain and which will take the pull von the curtain, exerted inthe operation of pulling it down to operative position or due to other causes, and thus relieve the fabric ofthe tension, vthus eliminating the cause of stretching.

The manner of constructingthe curtain Y with such memberinserted therein is clearly shown in Figures 3 to 6 inclusive, which show its application to the curtain 16, Figure 3' being a view from the rear showing the manner of turning the edges of the 4fabric=-back on itself and the Vposition of the various members. The rear corner of the curtain is notched out to allow the lower edge to overlie the upper outer edge of the body 10 when pulled down to operativeposition. Two rigid transverse stiifen-ing members 21 and 22 kare provided, the former at the lower edge of the curtain-and the lat- Y ter positioned somewhat above it, a generous portion of the lower edge of the fabric being turned back on itself to; form a pocket for the stiffening` member 21 at the lower vit is again sewed to hold the member 22' 1n edge of the curtain, and being sewed together immediately above `the latter to hold it in position, and extending up over the stiffening member 22 on each side of which Yner of the .curtain 16 and below the stifl'eningy rod 22, to hold the corner stiff and prevent it from bending or tearing vshould it stick in the groove 18. The rear edge'of the curtain fabric is rpreferably turned back on itselfvand sewed, as shown, without the addition of any vertically extending non-V Y stretching strip, as such strip has been found to'be unnecessary at this edgedue to the fact that it is retained inthe groove 18. The

fabric 'at the forward edge of the curtain is also turned back on itself Vand sewed to,-u gether,lbut as this edge is adapted to'overlapy the rear'edge of the front curtain 15,* it is necessary to prevent its stretching Vas ypreviously described, and itis at this `edgethat the non-stretchingstrip 20 is insertedwithin the pocket formed-by turningthefabric back on itself. at that point. The strip 2U is preferably ofthin spring metal such as Vthe material from which clock springs are made and it is preferably riveted orotherwise secured to the fabric at different points along its length and to thecross stiifening members 21fand 22. 'Although the strip 20 must be thin enough and flexible enough to be readily wound up on the roller 17 vwith the curtain 16, I have foundthat it eectually prevents stretching and consequent vsagging oftheedge of the curtain.` VVhen the rear edge of the front curtainis likewise provided with a strip such as 20, and the curtains 15 and 16 are properly constructed and hung so that their overlapping edges lay one against the other, they will continue to remainin such position .without sagging during the remainder of their use. Y

What I claim is Y Y 1. In combination with an lautomobile provided with a top, and a curtain supportcurtain provided with a flexible transpartains, and flexible metallic strips secured to ency secured at its upper edge to each of the unguided vertical edges of said curtains' 10- said rollers in overlapping relation, the lverand to said stiening bars to preventr tical edges of saidv curtains adjacent said stretching of said curtains, said strips being supports being received in and guided inthe Windable on said rollers with said curtains.

grooves thereof and the opposite edges being Signed by me at` South Bend, Indiana, unguided; horizontally extending stiening `U.. S. A., this 16th day of May,vl925. bars secured to thelower edges of said cur- FRANK A. BRENNER. 

